Tavecchio, cut Monday by the Lions, was claimed a day later by the Oakland Raiders. He'll now play his home games at O.co Colisium, located only 20 miles from where his parents live in Moraga, Calif.

Tavecchio spent much of his childhood in Milan, where he was born, but graduated from high school in the Bay Area and played his college ball at nearby Cal-Berkeley.

He spent almost eight months with the Lions this offseason and kicked well -- in fact, he kicked better than seventh-round draft pick Nate Freese. That includes hitting a 25-yard field goal and an extra-point two weeks ago in Oakland against the Raiders.

But the Lions preferred to trust their drafting and stuck with Freese, which left Tavecchio without a job. But not for long.